Alright a test screening of John Waters' latest film entitled "PECKER". Cool, AICN was the first place to announce the film and it's early cast, and now we get to read about the screening. For all us lovers of John Waters films, well a new Waters film is like a good chocolate in the midst of a field of beets. Speaking of beets, this beat was covered by Captain Soy, advocate for veggies entering your mouth, not meat products. Figures eh?
I was waiting to see what others said about "Pecker" but so far have not seen any related stuff on AICN so I'm finally getting off my ass and trying my hand at writing a review for you. I like how Hallenbeck formats his reviews so I hope he doesn't mind if I lift some of his style (I'll keep my language PG-rated though).
BACKGROUND INFO: I saw a screening of "Pecker" in Manhattan a week or so ago. It's written and directed by John Waters therefore it's a given that it's set in Baltimore and that it's somewhat farcical and satirical. The cast includes Edward Furlong as "Pecker"; Martha Plimpton as his sister; Christina Ricci as his girlfriend; and Brendon Sexton III as his best bud. There are many cameos by John Waters' regulars (alas, Divine, R.I.P.) and some not so regular but entertaining just the same (fans of "My So-Called Life" beware). There were no opening or closing credits yet and the sound was still rough but I think I saw enough of it to give it a fair shake here.
THE PLOT: I hate spoilers so all I'll say is that Pecker is a young dude with a passion for photography. He manages to capture the essence of people in his pictures. And the movie follows how some people dig his work and others don't. Along the way, the viewer's introduced to the various subjects of his work.
THE ACTORS: Some of the characters were hilarious and fleshed out (like Martha Plimpton and Brendon Sexton). Edward Furlong did a good job. He sort of reminded me physically of River Phoenix but his persona was more like a mischievous version of a Peanuts' character, Schroeder or Linus maybe. Others were too superficially presented. I felt like some had potential to be funnier and have more interesting relationships with Pecker. I know that my review's pretty skimpy, but I really don't want to give anything away since a lot of the humor stems from the element of the unexpected.
THE REVIEW: It's back to basics for John Waters with this one. It's low-budget looking with a simple, straightforward plot but with many twists and turns in characters and situations. Though it was pretty easy to tell what was gonna happen next, I must say I laughed my head off. If you're already a fan of "Pink Flamingos," "Hairspray" and the like, then you'll find enough to like in "Pecker." Otherwise, you might find it juvenile and offensive, and I'm sure John Waters will feel like his work touched you exactly where he was aiming.
